Chapter 45

"If we only consider affinity with spirits, I might be better than most elves. The creatures in the Elven Forest are generally greatly influenced by their affinity with spirits."

Compared to those who are born with spirit affinity.

How can they compare to me, who has been living in a blazing inferno for years to increase my fire affinity and raise my fire resistance?

This is the training class of heroes who transcend races.

In fact, Yuriana, the Spirit Empress and my teacher in spirit magic, who has made contracts with all spirits, is also of human origin.

She has made contracts with no less than 13 Spirit Kings, which even the highest-ranking Elven Priest, a High Elf, cannot achieve in their lifetime. Her talent is not ordinary.

"Hey, can you understand me?"

I casually asked while stroking his back, but Elcdeer just tilted his head and looked at me.

- No matter what, he's not smart enough to understand words.

"I must have expected too much."

As I said this and leisurely stroked his back, a rustling sound came from the forest.

Swoosh... Swoosh...

Several Elcdeer and fairy dragons began to gather around me from inside the forest.

- Even without making a spirit contract, the spirit trees show such intimate feelings.

'Do you envy me?'

- Honestly.

Her face flushed, and she seemed to want to pet them too.

Perhaps due to the faint magical aura she emitted.

Animals would instinctively leave if she extended her hand even a little.

- You also have commanding mana, so you're overdoing it.

'Magical aura and commanding mana are similar.'

- Squeak!

At that moment, a fairy dragon flew in from afar, approached me, and gave me something it was holding in its mouth.

"Quite a catch, huh?"

I opened my eyes wide as I realized what it was.

-The Moon Flower.

"Thank you, where did you find this?"

- Squeak!

In response to my question, the little guy squeaked with wet eyes, as if asking for praise.

"Alright."

As I stroked his back as he wished, he squeaked happily, circled around me, and then flew off somewhere.

"He seems to be guiding me."

- Fortunately, the Elven Forest is much wider than it appears. If I just searched aimlessly, I would have been spotted by the elves.

Although I said I would interrogate the elves, meeting them wouldn't be a pleasant situation.

The fairy dragon that was guiding me soon formed a group and flew off somewhere, leading me to a vast flower field.

-Ah...

Perseurk's expression was filled with surprise.

And I couldn't help but smile at the sight.

- Squeak!

- Squeak!

The flower field, where fairy dragons danced, was a magnificent scene of vast green light.

- All Moon Flowers...

The flowers that bloom with the blessing of the Moon Goddess, which can only be seen in the Elven Forest.

In the human realm, they can only grow with special cultivation methods. These were the ones I was looking for.

"There are quite a few. This amount would be enough to plant the entire estate."

A single flower contains enough seeds to plant flowers on a field of over 100 pyeong (330 square meters).

If I get caught by the elves, who revere the Moon Flowers, it would be a bit troublesome, but taking a few shouldn't be a problem.

"Before that."

I stopped talking, slowly stood in front of the flower field, closed my eyes, and spread my hands.

At the same time, the weak spirit energy that had been present until now gradually grew stronger.

The foundation of spirit power is mana, or holy power, or commanding mana.

Therefore, in practice, summoning spirits is a convenient power that can be achieved by those who have obtained other powers.

Ultimately, the difference in level is the high or low affinity.

Since my affinity is already maxed out in terms of numerical value, I can safely say that I won't have any trouble summoning spirits...

'Still, summoning a Spirit King would be difficult.'

When I practiced spirit magic, I used Yuriana's spirits for training.

In reality, in the corridor, only spirits that have already been contracted exist, so I couldn't make new contracts.

- Spirit mana? Are you trying to make a contract with a spirit?

"There's a common misconception that the Moon Goddess is part of the spirits. So, if you pick a flower containing the power of spirits without permission, it's natural that something bad will happen."

As I said this and raised my spirit mana, I slowly opened my eyes.

Then, I slowly spoke in a mysterious voice different from the language I had been using.

As I called the spirits over the Moon Flower field, spirits made of faint light began to gather around me from the air.

Their appearances varied.

Some were like rocks, some like water droplets, and some like ice crystals.

The appearance of spirits mostly changes according to the wishes of the contractor, but natural spirits are closer to elemental forms.

So, the natural spirits here would be the same.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of the spirits, which flew to me, chattering incessantly.

They are inherently kind and pure beings.

Because of this, they have the effect of making people feel comfortable just by being around them.

Perseurk seemed to not understand the meaning of what I was saying, but the spirits understood my words accurately.

If I tried to respond to each of the chattering spirits, it would probably never end.

I cut off their flow appropriately and asked as if making a request.

With the permission of the excitedly chattering spirits, there was nothing to worry about now.

The remaining task was to gather an appropriate amount and leave before being caught by the elves.

If I get caught, it would be a bit troublesome, so it's best to stay hidden.

But at that moment, I probably didn't notice.

There was someone watching me from afar.

* * *

'Amazing.'

It was a gentle and leisurely voice.

Who was it?

The Garden of the Moon Goddess.

When high-ranking elves refer to the garden where Moon Flowers grow, they call it this.

A place where Moon Flowers, which naturally grow due to the highly condensed spirit power, form a vast flower field.

It's a place that is highly revered by the elves, so the scene unfolding before my eyes was hard to believe.

The sanctuary of the elves.

A human is communicating with spirits to pick Moon Flowers growing there.

If I were to tell this to Elvenheim, the last city of the elves, I would only be met with ridicule.

Indeed, the current elves, who have closed their doors, can't easily communicate with the spirits of nature, even the most precious High Elven Priests.

Affinity?

Outstanding. There's nothing he can't do if he wants to make a contract with a spirit.

In fact, she, who inherited the noble bloodline of the Helishana family, was born with the affinity to make contracts with the highest-level spirits.

But to see and communicate with the spirits of nature without any preparation, and to gain their favor without any compensation, was something even she couldn't do.

In such a situation, a human, who looks to be not even 20 years old, was doing it.

Curiosity arose in her eyes.

A boy who deceived the eyes of the Elven Guards protecting the forest and received the favor of the spirit trees to enter the hidden Garden of the Moon Goddess.

It was so natural that she wouldn't have seen it if she hadn't gone for a walk by chance.

The forest has a boundary that naturally guides any intruders back out, so her curiosity, being a curious person, was strongly aroused.

"I want to know."

"Yuriana, my friend, what are you saying?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of an elf man speaking to her, who was muttering to herself.

She smiled, brushing her sky-colored hair.

The man in front of her was not exactly from this village.

He was one of the highest-ranking priests in the last city of the elves, Elvenheim, and her teacher, known for his unparalleled skill in spirit magic, the magic of the elves.

How would he react if she told him what she saw?

Even he, who doesn't show surprise at most things, might be shocked by this.

She suddenly became curious.

So, she decided to ask.

"Medis, my teacher."

"What is troubling you?"

She smiled brightly at the gentle man's question.

It was a beautiful and pure smile that could make even the beauty-conscious elves blush.

"Why aren't you drinking the tea?"

"..."

But what troubled her the most was not that she was telling him about the human boy, but that her teacher was not drinking the tea she had prepared with great care.

She had separated the wings from the plump body of a cricket, dried them for over a week, and brewed the tea.

Yet, her teacher ignored her efforts!

"Ugh... Yuriana. Actually, I'm not feeling well..."

Medis groaned, and she opened her eyes wide.

It was an exaggerated gesture, but it felt cute and pure.

"Oh, that's a problem. I just developed a new menu while walking through the forest the other day. It helps with digestion..."

"Ah... No!"

"Hmm... It's effective, though."

Medis, who was startled and stepped back.

He had been caught once because he forgot his disciple's habits, but her desire for gourmet and health was very different from the elves, who pursue harmony.

An eccentric elf who would eat anything that is healthy and tasty.

That was her, the sky-haired girl in front of him.

"My teacher."

At the moment when Medis was in a dilemma, he realized that the tone of Yuriana Helishana, who was calling him, had slightly changed.

"Something is happening."

"What if a human, who deceived the eyes of the elves, entered the Garden of the Moon Goddess and communicated with the spirits of nature. Is that likely?"

"Yuriana. What are you talking about..."

"Or is it more likely that a great being has awakened from a long sleep?"

Her smile was genuine, but there was no hint of playfulness.

Medis, who fell silent at her question, soon met her eyes and slowly stood up.